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Developing IQVIA’s positions on key trends in the pharma and life sciences industries, with a focus on EMEA.
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EMEA Thought Leadership
Developing IQVIA’s positions on key trends in the pharma and life sciences industries, with a focus on EMEA.
Learn more -
Middle East & Africa
EMEA Thought Leadership
Developing IQVIA’s positions on key trends in the pharma and life sciences industries, with a focus on EMEA.
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Today’s Investigator Databank and DQS: Welcoming the Next Generation of Consortium Members
May 05, 2025
The Data Query System (DQS) began with a handful of the industry’s largest pharmaceutical companies. Today, the consortium that manages DQS encourages a diversity of organizations to consider membership in this distinct data sharing group.
This blog summarizes the history of DQS, its contribution to clinical trials, and why your company may be a good candidate to join the consortium and raise your feasibility program to a higher level across study planning, site identification, and investigator/site selection.
The History of the Data Query System
The DQS has its roots in the Investigator Databank, a global collaboration between pharmaceutical companies that enables them to share their real-world experience about investigators’ strengths with each other. For more than a decade, the mission of the Investigator Databank has been consistent:
- Reduce the administrative burden on all investigators
- Increase the visibility of qualified investigators to research sponsors
- Produce more realistic recruitment projections
- Reduce the number of under-performing sites
- Lower IT costs for master data management
In 2012, the DQS was launched as an interface for data mastering and sharing with the three founding members of the Investigator Databank. By 2015, the Investigator Databank expanded to include five companies. During this time, the industry consortium TransCelerate Biopharma was formalizing its strategic initiatives for collaboration. TransCelerate chose the DQS to support the Investigator Registry Initiative, further expanding the breadth of DQS.
But how is DQS, now used by nearly 20 companies, having an impact on today’s clinical trials?
The Contribution of DQS to Clinical Trials
A successful clinical trial hinges on selecting the right investigators and sites. Traditional methods of identifying and evaluating sites often rely on qualitative experiences and a limited view of performance metrics. When patient enrollment expectations aren’t met, sponsors may need to contract with “rescue sites” to add more trial participants, increasing costs and timelines. To avoid these complexities, clinical trial sponsors need a holistic source of data that can accurately match trials with the appropriate sites and qualified investigators.
Through DQS, sponsors can access a cloud-based data repository to help identify the best investigators and trial sites for their clinical studies. DQS provides a robust and searchable system that aggregates broad and diverse data sets. The DQS extends beyond the sponsor's internal records, incorporating data from participating companies and publicly available information to ensure a comprehensive view of possible study sites.
DQS provides a consolidated view of historical site and investigator performance, with metrics such as enrollment rates and site start-up times. By utilizing this data, sponsors can make more informed decisions when planning studies, identifying investigators, and selecting sites that best align with their needs of the trials.
A collection of data sources
Today, the DQS ingests data from many sources, including clinical trial management system (CTMS) updates from participating organizations, public databases such as clinicaltrials.gov, and third-party data partners. IQVIA then matches the information, standardizes it, and applies a unique identifier called the “Golden Number” for consistency and accuracy. The result is a continuously updated repository that’s easy to query.
Is your company a candidate for DQS?
Across both the Investigator Databank and the Investigator Registry, DQS supports pharmaceutical companies that sponsor a large portion of the clinical trials conducted around the world. The Investigator Databank has always been open to expansion to companies whose contribution to the data pool can match the value received. Historically, this has been interpreted as starting a certain number of studies per year. However, companies that run less studies but may bring a wealth of information on investigators in key therapeutic areas are highly valued and are encouraged to review the consortium’s collaborative philosophy and inquire about joining.
High-quality and reliable data are the key value of this collaboration. As more members join, the depth and breadth of the asset will continue to grow.
Raising feasibility and site selection to a higher level
DQS offers significant advantages, providing companies with a way to broaden their view of the investigators and site landscape. Through data sharing and mastering, this collaborative ecosystem advances research for all:
- Shorter study timelines - with targeted feasibility assessments that lead to the best-matched sites and faster patient recruitment.
- Reduced costs – by avoiding the need for rescue sites and internal resources for master data management.
- Better investigator engagement – because investigators and site staff are more likely to feel valued and stay engaged when their skills and experiences align with the study's requirements.
To learn more about the IQVIA Data Query System and how it may benefit your organization, please visit www.iqvia.com/dataquerysystem or send an email to orchestrateyourtrials@iqvia.com.
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